Rangers of Yeon by April Garrus

Author:April Garrus [Garrus, April]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: God-Empress Media
Published: 2020-08-23T18:30:00+00:00

17

They spent the idle time talking and further planning what an assault upon the Ghost King’s castle would look like. Dai-Seong and Kim-Jeok sent their Girins out to patrol the plains alone and talked with Bae-Jin about the best methods to draw the Ghost King’s attention.

“If a passage exists to enter the palace unseen, Spear Dancer will know, as I’ve said.” Dai-Seong drew a rough map in the dirt of the courtyard.

Kim-Jeok nodded and dropped a set of three stones on the map before the castle.

“Three of us come in strong,” he said. “We bring with us all the fire and thunder we can muster and draw out the bulk of his forces. Meanwhile the fourth of us should be escorting you.” He pointed at the women. “Once safe, they should return to assist in the battle.”

“Do you plan to hold them the entire time we’re inside?” Bae-Jin asked.

“We’ll hold them as long as we can. An attempt that appears honest should throw him off the scent of any trickery.”

“But I warn you,” Dai-Seong said. “While we shall face terrors in the field, the Ghost King’s palace will not be without its own horrors.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Bae-Jin said. “But we’ll be quick and quiet. In and out. We’ll grab what we need, take our shot, and get out before anyone knows we’re there.”

“That’s a great plan,” Hae cut in, “but we don’t know what we need yet.”

“Right.” Bae-Jin thought a moment. “Kim-Jeok. You would know better than anyone–what could be used to identify the Ghost King today?”

“Identify him? Is he so forgotten?”

“No,” Hae said. “But the memories are old stories and paintings now. We need something to bring back that will offer undisputed proof of where we’ve been.”

“I see.” He was quiet a moment. “As with any sovereign, Do-Yun used a system of stamps and seals to certify his decrees. One of these was the death’s head taegeuk. You have seen it?”

He drew the symbol on the ground, a skull and the balanced circle representing the forces of nature.

“We have.” Hae nodded.

“It was originally used to certify executions and decrees of martial force. As the Mag’dians came in and Do-Yun’s control began to slip, the stamp appeared more and more often. Before long it came to symbolize him and his armies as he embraced his epithet as Ghost King. If you can find the ingam bearing this seal, I can think of nothing better to prove you’ve been within his hall.”

“Perfect,” Bae-Jin said, drawing a new design in the dust. “And it should be easy to carry too. What is the layout of his palace?”

“We have no specifics,” Dai-Seong said, adding to her drawing, “but our reconnaissance has shown it is laid out as such.”

Soon, there was a large square etched into the ground, with several smaller boxes to indicate where buildings stood.

“This is all we can offer,” the hero said. “And I would not put much faith in maps. When our war was in full thrust, we sent scouting parties and cartographical ships to investigate the mountains and the coast.

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